TUCSON, Ariz.—Democratic candidate for Arizona governor Katie Hobbs has declined to debate her Republican opponent, Kari Lake, ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, with her campaign telling local media she won’t argue with a “conspiracy theorist.”
Instead, Hobbs, who is Arizona’s secretary of state, requested a “town hall-style” format in which each candidate would sit for a 30-minute interview in a controlled setting.
“Secretary Hobbs remains willing and eager to participate in a town hall-style event, such as the forum she participated in [September], in which Arizonans were able to hear directly from Sec[retary] Hobbs about her in-depth policy plans and how she would approach governing this state,” Nicole DeMont, Hobbs’s campaign manager, wrote in a letter to the Citizens Clean Elections Commission in Phoenix.
The commission sponsors public debates each election cycle so that Arizona voters can better gauge the candidates running for office.
“Unfortunately, debating a conspiracy theorist like Kari Lake—whose entire campaign platform is to cause enormous chaos and make Arizona the subject of national ridicule—would only lead to constant interruptions, pointless distractions, and childish name-calling,” DeMont said in the letter.
“We must respectfully decline the invitation.”
Lake called Hobbs’s rejection of a one-on-one debate a political act of “cowardice” on social media.
Debates Are ‘Critical’
The political debate, which is perhaps as old as politics itself, is an opportunity for voters to directly gauge the candidates’ image, honesty, and substance.“Debates are a critical tool for voters to learn directly from the candidates about where they stand on the issues,” Clean Elections voter education director Gina Roberts said. “Voters are often inundated with messaging from different sources during the election season, and debates offer voters a direct line of communication with the candidates.”
The commission has a successful history of providing voters with access to statewide and legislative candidate debates, “along with an opportunity to submit their questions for the candidates,” Roberts told The Epoch Times.
“Most recently, a poll commissioned by Clean Elections identified debates as a primary source of election information for general election voters.”
Clean Elections rejected Hobbs’s request for a town hall-style format. What seems to have evolved in this debate-free environment are two campaign strategies for reaching out to Arizona’s committed and undecided voters.
Lake, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, recently went on the road for a series of live “Ask Me Anything” events, where voters can ask any questions about the campaign’s issues.
“It’s all politics right now, and politics matter. This is just a job interview, and you guys are the hiring managers. I’m applying for a job interview, and we’re taking the job interview on the road since my opponent is hiding in her basement,” Lake said at a packed “Ask Me Anything” session at Whiskey Roads Restaurant in Tucson on Oct. 2.
“Somebody ran into [Hobbs] in a Starbucks, and they asked her, ‘Why don’t you do an interview and debate Kari Lake?’ She said I’m not answering anything. Here we are, answering everything.”
Lake is unapologetically pro-life and opposes progressive education that includes transgenderism and critical race theory. She supports the Second Amendment, border security, school choice, and election integrity with the campaign slogan, “Don’t California Our Arizona.”
Hobbs is a former state senator and social worker whose politics are decidedly progressive. She was elected Arizona’s secretary of state in 2018 and presided over the 2020 election that turned up numerous ballot discrepancies, resulting in the GOP-led state Senate’s election audit in 2021.
Hobbs has vowed on her website that on “day one” as governor, she would repeal Arizona’s 1901 law banning abortion and replace it with one that is “in line with the beliefs of the vast majority of Arizonans.”
Polls Show Tight Race
Hobbs appears to have adopted a more low-key strategy rather than to meet Lake head-on in a public debate. In early August, she met with constituents during a meeting with labor union leaders.“Good coffee. Bagels. Getting to sit down and speak with Arizona’s union leaders about real challenges we’re facing,” Hobbs wrote on Twitter on Aug. 9.
“Couldn’t think of a better way to start my morning than at the ADP Labor Breakfast.”
The latest polls show Lake and Hobbs in a near-deadlock, with Lake, a former Fox10 News anchor, leading Hobbs 46 percent to 45 percent among respondents. The candidates also are running close in fundraising: Hobbs has generated $5 million, with Lake at just under $4 million.
The winner in the general election will succeed two-term Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who is prevented by term limits from seeking reelection.
Neither Lake nor Hobbs responded by press time to requests through their respective campaigns for comment.
